EGGS OF CHARADRIID^-. 425 



The prevailing color of the young in down is a light grey, with a 

 dark marking in the sha^je of an oval line extending from the head 

 to near the end of the back, also dark lines extend from the wings 

 towards the tail. The parent birds at times feign lameness or 

 perform other scheming actions to attract intruders from the 

 vicinity of their young. The young, if alarmed, hide themselves 

 and lie quite motionless, with necks outstretched, rendering their 

 discovery a matter of difficidty. A farmer friend of mine was 

 always able to checkmate the stone-curlews by the aid of a 

 sagacious cattle dog. During breeding season, if he noticed a 

 bird running away in a suspicious manner, when he crossed the 

 trail, he would send the dog back along the line and so pick up the 

 eggs or yovmg. 



As the soiithern stone-curlew is the initial species in the 

 fascinating family of the Charadriida, 1 should like to direct 

 attention to the fact that Avhere a pair of eggs is the usual com- 

 plement laid by any species the egg possessing the sharper point 

 (at the smaller end) is nearly in every case the longer egg. No 

 doubt the difference in shape and length may be attributed to the 

 sexual difference of the embryos, and that the more lengthened or the 

 sharper-pointed egg is the male. If we refer to the dimensions of 

 the six clutches of the stone-curlew eggs we will observe that the 

 No. 1 eggs (which have the sharper ends) are the longer in every 

 instance except the last. It will be further seen that this rule 

 applies to other species as they come under our notice. With 

 reference to the longer and sharper-pointed eggs, I may mention 

 that a relative of mine experimented with a setting of domestic 

 fowls' eggs, selecting the longest and most pointed examples, and 

 all Avithout exception hatched out male birds. 



ESACUS (CEDICNEMUS) MAGNIROSTRIS. 

 Long-Billed Stone- Curlew. 



Fiyure — Gould: Birds of Australia, fob, vol. vi., pi. 6. 



Ramsay^ s Tab. List — Esaciis magnirostris, Geoff. 



Previous Descriptions of Eggs — Gould: Birds of Australia 

 (1848); also Hbdk., vol. ii., p. 214 (1865). Hume: Nests and 

 Eggs, Indian Birds, vol. in., p. 334 (1875 and 1890). 



Geographical Distribution — North-West Australia, Northern 

 Territory, North Queensland, and New. Guinea. 



Nest — The bare ground merely, or a small depression in the 

 sand, a little above high- water mark. 



Eggs — By analogy, 2 — Gould states the ground color is creamy- 

 white, streaked and marked all over with dark olive-brown, some 

 of the markings being large and bold, without assuming any regular 

 form, and others mere blotches about ^in. in diameter, while many 

 of the streaks are as fine as a hair, and are of a crooked or zigzag 

 form; length, 2^in. (6"35cm.) by Ifin. (4-45cm.) broad. 



